Ex-Vol hired as Knoxville officer under investigation after speeding past state trooper

A former UT linebacker hired as a KPD officer before he graduated is under investigation after a car registered to him sped past a fellow lawman and refused to stop
Angela M Gosnell, USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

Former University of Tennessee linebacker Raiques Crump is now a Knoxville Police Department officer under investigation.(Photo: University of Tennessee)

A former University of Tennessee linebacker hired as a Knoxville Police Department officer before he graduated is under investigation after a car registered to him sped past a fellow lawman and refused to stop, a USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee probe shows.

KPD spokesman Darrell DeBusk confirmed this week that Officer Raiques Crump, 25, is under investigation by the agency’s Internal Affairs Unit for his role in a pursuit by Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Howard Greenlee last week.

“We were notified the night the alleged incident occurred,” DeBusk said in response to questions about the May 31 incident. “As you are aware, we are prohibited from discussing investigations being conducted by the Internal Affairs Unit. Results of the investigation will be released at the conclusion of the IA investigation.”

'Wild child' passes by

USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee has filed a request under the state’s Open Records Act with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security for all reports, video and audio related to the incident.

The agency said Friday the entirety of its records in the case have now been sent to the Knox County District Attorney General's office for review and cannot yet be made public.

Greenlee had stopped a motorist on Interstate 40 near mile marker 388 in Knoxville on the evening of May 31 when a car with a specialty tag that read “wild child” sped past without changing lanes as required by law when a law enforcer has another motorist stopped on the highway, according to interviews and documents.

Greenlee initiated a pursuit of the vehicle, turning on his blue lights, but lost sight of it. The specialty tag led him to Crump.

Megan Buell, a spokeswoman for the safety department, said Greenlee followed the agency’s protocol by contacting KPD administrators. It is not yet clear when KPD was notified and whether an administrator responded to the home at which Crump was located.

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Tennessee Highway Patrol(Photo: News Sentinel)

Crump allegedly gave varying statements about who was driving his car when it sped past the trooper. Buell said Greenlee had “no way to identify who the driver was” but consulted with the Knox County District Attorney General’s office about charges.

Greenlee was initially told he did not have enough evidence to mount a case for speeding or evading arrest. The DA’s office later decided further review was in order. It’s not clear when the DA’s office made that decision or why.

Sean McDermott, a prosecutor and spokesman for Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen, said Friday “ethical rules” prevent the office from commenting. He did not clarify what rules to which he referred.

Job, then diploma

DeBusk said Crump, who had been serving as a school resource officer at Austin-East Magnet High School, has been reassigned to the agency’s teleserve unit, where his powers will be limited to filing reports and answering phone calls, pending the internal investigation.

Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen is shown in an undated photo.(Photo: Jon Gustin)

Crump’s personnel file shows he was hired at KPD as a recruit in January 2014 – a year before he completed his psychology degree at UT. Crump was a 2010 UT football recruit from Alabama who played as a linebacker through the 2013 season.

He was among a handful of former Vols hired by KPD in recent years either shortly before or after graduation.

His supervisors encouraged Crump to use his status as a former Vol to interact with inner-city youth at a time when Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch was pushing for recruitment of more young, minority officers from the community, records show.

“Officer Crump’s education, experience as an athlete and his knowledge of the job makes him a very valuable asset to the squad,” one evaluation form stated.

But his supervisors also faulted Crump for forgetting the lessons he learned as a Vol.

David Rausch(Photo: Leadership Tennessee Class V)

“As a former college athlete, I would like to see Officer Crump incorporate his knowledge of team work and use it to assist the squad in meeting its goals and objections,” one supervisor wrote.

Praised for his “remarkable ability to recall faces,” Crump also was criticized as a lone wolf, even when assigned to task forces in the agency’s investigative unit.

“I would like to see Officer Crump develop stronger relationships with his beat partners,” a supervisor wrote.

Another said, “While this concern is not constant, when it does occur, it causes uncertainty and confusion for those around him.”

In May, he was reassigned from patrol to the post as school resource officer. But supervisors noted his “communication” skills still needed work.

“Officer Crump does need to work on his communication with those he works with,” one notation stated. “We have had that discussion, and he is improving.”

Crump could not be reached for comment. His annual salary is nearly $42,000.

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